The Gulf Tangling with Tehran

In its most serious strike yet, the U.S. hits Iranian ships and oil platforms in a daylong naval action

The warning issued by U.S. Navy Captain James Chandler could hardly have been plainer. If the Iranian patrol boat Joshan approached any closer to the U.S. guided-missile cruiser Wainwright, Chandler warned the Iranian craft by radio, "it is my intention to sink you." The Joshan's reply came quickly in the form of a deadly antiship missile. Chandler immediately ordered his crew to fire a hail of aluminum chaff into the air, which deflected the missile by confusing its radar guidance system. Moments later a second ship in the U.S. gulf convoy, the frigate Simpson, unleashed an SM-1 missile. It scored a...

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